Red Snowflake
by Half Demon Alchemist
Summary: A red scarf; the string of fate. A gentle snowfall brings two lovers together. A tragic past and a new love. All of this with memories of a horrible past that won't soon be forgotten. Edward is unsure if he's able to accept the feelings of love offered to him, while Roy grasps his new love tightly. A red scarf; the string of fate. A bond that will never be forgotten, nor fade. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Please review, I desperately want to know what you think! Flames welcome!**

**This story idea has taken me a while to come up with, but I really like it, and I hope you do too! I don't own FMA!**

**This is an AU story, there is no alchemy.**

**Chapter One**

The sun shone down through the windows, waking the blonde man from his slumber. A groan escaped his lips as he turned over, fighting the little voice in the back of his mind that told him to wake up. Pulling the red comforter over his tan face, he screwed his eyes shut, trying desperately not to let the blinding sunlight hit his eyes. But, as fate would have it, he woke anyway, dredging himself away from his warm and comfortable bed.

Feet shuffling across the floor, he dragged himself to the small bathroom of the apartment he lived in, starting his morning routine of brushing his teeth. And after using the toilet he took a look in the mirror. He saw brilliant molten gold eyes staring back at him through the cracked mirror. Grabbing a wooden brush with his metal hand, he brushed his long, silky golden locks of hair until they gleamed like spun gold. Women often envied him for his desirable hair color, but he paid them no mind.

Deeming himself presentable, he tied his hair back into his common braid. You see, today was a very important day for him. Today was the day that he had a life changing doctor's appointment.

Years ago, his mother passed away due to an illness. Lately, he had been seeing signs of that illness in himself, so he thought it best to check up on his health now, before it was too late.

Leaving the small bathroom, he walked into his cramped kitchen. The paint on the creme colored walls was chipped and peeled, the paint obviously from years before. The floor creaked beneath him every step he took. He walked immediately to his old plastic coffee machine, brewing some of the energizing liquid. Opening the cabinet, the blonde man grabbed an old cracked mug. A mug that his younger brother had gotten for him once...

But that had been a long time ago.

Sighing, he placed his hand on the coffee pot handle, and poured the lukewarm liquid into the mug. The coffee had long since stopped brewing, but the blonde man had been too busy staring off into space, flashbacks of memories flying through his mind. Scenarios of situations that he could have done better in. If he had just listened to his brother, none of this would have happened... But he had never been the type to listen to what others told him. He thought he had known best...

But he had been wrong.

He clenched his hand tightly around his red and black mug. He didn't have time for this, reminiscing over the past. He couldn't change the past now, there was nothing he could do about what happened to him... And to his brother. He couldn't change anything. He was a powerless human being. The mistakes he had made... Could never be erased. Every moment in his life was final, there was no going back. Every word he said, every action he made could never be changed. He knew that there was no going back. Even if he wanted to change his past, which he desperately did... He never could.

Lifting the mug up from the table, he stopped midway at bringing it to his mouth. The coffee would be bitter, bitter like his previous thoughts of his past. He had grown tired of reminiscing. The air around him was heavy with the thoughts and memories of his past.

His desire to leave his cramped apartment grew. He had time before his appointment, but he didn't want to be trapped in here right now. His memories of the past were lingering around every corner of these four rooms. He stood up from his chair suddenly, the chair clashing to the floor. He walked briskly to his small living room, the plain white wallpaper peeling off the walls, plaster from the ceiling coating the couch and floor in a fine dust. Spotting his bright red coat on the arm of the couch, he grabbed it, shaking the white dust from off of it.

The blonde man quickly put on his coat, the flamel symbol in black proudly marking the back of his jacket. He quickly walked to the front door of his residence and grabbed his wallet and keys from the table beside the door.

And with that, he opened the door and left the depressing apartment, trying to leave the memories and feelings of sadness and confusion behind with it.

* * *

The snow was falling gently, showing that winter had finally arrived. There was a cold wind, but he didn't mind. He was holding a steaming hot cup of tea, fresh from the cafe down the street from his apartment. This tea held no bitterness of terrible memories, or heavy thoughts from long ago. The streets were not populated, and he was alone. But he was not trapped like he was in his apartment.

Walking down the brick sidewalk, he stared at the steam that rose from his cup, and the ground below him. The fresh, crispy and pure white snow on the ground beside him and beneath him. Snow, that had yet to be touched by the impurities of man.

He stared at his two hands wrapped firmly around his cup of tea. One tan, flesh hand... And the other, a metal monstrosity. He had lost his right arm and left leg to a tragic accident that he would never forget. No, this memory would forever stay in his mind.

_If he had just listened to his brother, none of this would have happened... But he had never been the type to listen to what others told him. He thought he had known best..._

_But he had been wrong._

He had lost two limbs... But his baby brother... His brother had lost his life.

**_Flashback_**

_It had been five years since our mother passed away due to the epidemic. I was sixteen and my younger brother was fifteen. There was a terrible blizzard in our small town of Risembool, we had never seen anything like it. The power had gone out, and I wanted to find flashlights for my brother and I._

_"But brother, we should just wait until the storm passes through! Then we can get our lights back!" He would warn me... But unfortunately... Back then, I didn't think he was right._

_He was right._

_"Alphonse, we can just go find flashlights!" I grabbed the two candles and the box of matches I had kept in a specific drawer just in case something like this happened._

_"Brother, I still think we should just wait! Something doesn't feel right." He would constantly say. But I didn't listen. I thought I knew best. I thought nothing bad would happen._

_I was wrong._

_I lit one candle, and handed it to my brother. "Here, you go check the attic for a flashlight. I'm going to Granny Pinako's to borrow one." I told him as I lit a candle for myself. _

_I realize my mistake now. I had never properly blew out the match... In my haste to get a flashlight, I had simply dropped the match, leaving it to burn... My brother and I split ways, and I went outside into the storm, racing as fast as my legs could go to Granny Pinako's and Winry's house.  
_

_I had arrived at their house, and I had received the flashlight. But when I had walked outside of their house... What I saw... Was a house, across the way from where I stood..._

_Aflame. _

_My house. On fire. My house, where my younger brother, the person I held closest to me... Was trapped inside. _

_I ran faster right then than I ever had before, and I know I will never run that fast again. Through the snow I ran, the snow falling furiously from the clouds above, the harsh and strong wind pushing against me. _

_By the time I got there, my entire house was ablaze. Orange flames consumed my family's house, and I heard the screams from the person I loved the most. Alphonse. Without thinking, I ran inside the burning house._

_The next thing I remember is that when I woke up, I was in a hospital room. Missing an arm and a leg._

_And my baby brother was dead._

**_End flashback_**

The blonde man snapped himself out of his dazed state. His tea would go cold if he kept thinking about the past like that. But Alphonse... Alphonse had been right. They should have just waited. He should have just waited for the power to come back on. His brother would still be with him...

If only he had listened.

A shout from next to him made him return from his thoughts.

"I told you, if we sell that, our company's income will go down drastically!" The man beside him yelled. "Listen to me! I know what I'm doing!" And then, there was a smack, and the blonde man's cup of tea was knocked from his hand, crashing down on the sidewalk, spilling everywhere.

"You idiots! You made me-" And then there was a snap of a phone being shut.

"I am so sorry." The man with raven black hair muttered, looking at the spilled tea.

Molten gold eyes looked at the tea, that was laying in a puddle on the brick sidewalk, the cup that had once held the tea lying useless and empty beside it. The tea that had been spilled was the tea that had taken his reminiscent bitterness away. And now, he had an appointment to get to. He would not be late.

He looked up at the raven haired man and glared with a fiery passion.

**To be continued!**

**Review please! I love you!** **Hope you liked it! I worked hard on it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please review, and flames are welcome! Disclaimer: I don't own FMA!  
**

**This is an AU story, there is no alchemy.**

**Chapter ****Two**

The raven haired man looked away from the now empty cup and towards the man who's hand he had knocked it out of. Fiery golden eyes glared back at him. But why?**  
**

He did not know, but he looked over at this short man that stood before him, his mouth partly agape. Molten gold eyes, and shining gold hair. Snowflakes in all their glory were sprinkled in his hair, giving him a dazzling image. Red and black adorned the clearly toned body of the blonde. Just who was this man?

"I'm so sorry... For spilling your tea." The raven haired man elaborated, staring into the depths of the captivating eyes.

"It's nothing. Doesn't matter." The short blonde man muttered angrily. The golden eyes stopped glaring and simply stared into his obsidian eyes, tracing every movement of the ebony haired man. Every inch of his body, scanned and analyzed by the blonde standing before him.

"I-I'm Roy." He stuttered under the blonde's calculating gaze. "And about your tea... I'll go buy you a ne-"

"I told you, it doesn't matter." The blonde man muttered coldly once more, walking away from the man we now know as Roy.

As he watched the unnamed man walk away, Roy narrowed his own obsidian eyes. What the hell? He had just been trying to be a good person, and buy him a new cup of tea. But no. Apparently, even though it was Roy's fault that the blonde no longer had any tea, it didn't matter. God, this is why he's never that nice. It never works out.

Although he wanted to be pissed at that mysterious blonde man... He couldn't. Looking at that small frame walk away, shoulders slumped... Those burning gold eyes flashed thorough his mind. Why... Why did they look so sad? So desolate? So empty? Why did it look like those beautiful eyes were the window to his soul, and that his soul was cold and empty? Missing something? The glow those eyes held... Why did it look like he had been trying so hard to hold back tears that longed to be shed?

Questions raced through Roy's mind. Who was that man? Why was he so cold? Why... Why did he look as if one little thing... Could break him completely? Why did it look like he was almost completely broken? Stuck in the past and couldn't move forward, couldn't find his way?

Shaking his head, his eyes met with the empty cup. Before he could stop himself, he had bent down and picked up the paper cup that had once been full of tea. Turning it over, he saw the cursive logo of Red Sugar, a small cafe not to far from here. He was familiar with it, had been there a few times himself. Rotating the mug, he saw where the employee had scrawled the mans name in black sharpie, marking it as his.

"Edward..." He whispered softly, repeating the name that he read on the cup. "Edward..." He whispered again. He loved the way the name rolled off his tongue, as if he had been meant to say it. As if he had known that beautiful man's name all along.

Thoughts of Edward consumed his mind soon after he learned the man's name. From the way his hair shone and sparkled in the morning sunlight, the snowflakes that had landed on the spun gold. The way his eyes glittered dangerously when he glared. The colors that he wore so proudly. Red and black. Red, black and gold, surrounded by a world of white. Edward was so vibrant, each color stood out, as if stating that he was there. As if he wouldn't allow the people around him forget about him. His beautiful tan skin. It looked so soft, Roy got a sudden urge to caress that tan cheek in his hand.

But why the hell was he thinking those thoughts? About a stranger nonetheless. He shouldn't be doing this, thinking of a stranger in such a way. As if he were attracted to him.

Obsidian eyes widened. No way. No fucking way.

There was no such thing as love at first sight. Edward was a man. Roy may be bisexual, but that doesn't mean just because he sees an attractive man, he falls head over heels in love with him. No way, not happening. I mean, as if, right? The look in Edward's eyes may have drawn his attention, kept the blonde stuck in his thoughts... But that didn't mean it was love. No... It couldn't be.

Clutching onto the cup, he walked away from the spot where he had met this strange, beautiful man.

A beautiful man named Edward.

* * *

His heart was pounding, his left palm was sweaty.

What was with that man he knew as Roy? How dare he knock his tea out of his hand. The tea that saved him from his thoughts. The tea that made the memories go away. His tea. And it was gone. It was gone because of a handsome stranger named Roy. Frustration for that man made his heart pound. Or at least, that's what he believed that emotion that crept into his heart to be. Frustration.

Frustration and nothing more.

That gleaming raven black hair. Dark as nightfall. But yet, it had a few sparkling snowflakes tangled within that hair that was as dark as night. A few shining stars infused with those beautiful raven locks. Those eyes that looked as if they could peer into his very soul, such a deep and cold black, but yet... He could see it. He could see that gleam within the depths of those obsidian orbs. The gleam of hope. The gleam of love... The gleam of kindness. A gleam that he knew his eyes did not hold. That delicate pale skin that glowed in the rays of the sun, the color of the iridescent moon. That black button up collared dress shirt and the khakis that Roy had been wearing fit his tall and muscular build perfectly. That lovely deep voice, to imagine it calling out his name, again and again as if that man had been born to call out for him. And those smooth lips. An image of those soft lips kissing down his neck flashed through his mind, making his heart race.

A faint blush took to his cheeks. This Roy was a complete and utter stranger. He shouldn't be fantasizing about strangers in such a way. He knew that his sexuality was homosexual, but going as far to imagine himself with a person he had just met? That was too strange. He had never done that before. He had never imagined himself with another person.

"After all..." He whispered to himself, quickening his pace. "If _he_-" an image of his younger brother flashed through his mind. "-Didn't get his first love, I never should."

The pure snow crunched under his metal leg, which brought him back to his thoughts. That was part of the price he had payed for not taking heed to his brother's wise words. He lost his right arm, left leg, his baby brother... And his ability to ever think that he deserved love.

Why couldn't it have been him? His brother had so much hope, so much to live for. Alphonse always looked at the world in a positive way, always thinking of ways to make life better for everyone around him. Selfless on every occasion, always caring and considerate. In other words, the perfect human being, so unlike himself. It should have been him who died in that fire, not his baby brother. But fate was a cruel thing, and it had been him who survived. Him who was now forced to live with this burden of guilt, this sadness that came with his memories.

It shouldn't have been him.

But it was because that it had been he who survived, that he wouldn't allow himself to fall in love. He knew that his younger brother would have wanted him to be happy, find love and start a family... But it was because of that he couldn't. His brother had always dreamed of finding a wonderful woman, falling in love and marrying her and then settling down and supporting his wife and kids. But that couldn't happen. That couldn't happen because he died before he even had the chance to love.

He would never find love. That he would make sure of.

Noticing he had gotten closer to his doctors office than he had thought, he snapped himself out of his thoughts to pay attention to where he needed to go. His life changing doctors appointment. He needed to know. But he had to admit... That if the doctor told him that he had his mother's illness, and he was going to die the next day...

He wouldn't mind.

But he wouldn't go out and kill himself, for that was certain. He knew his brother would have never approved of such a method to rid his pain. He would keep dragging himself onward. Even if the path ahead lies through a river of mud **(1). **He would never allow himself to rid himself of the pain that lived in his heart. No. He would always live with this pain. He would live with it because it was his burden to bare. The memories and his automail. Those were his reminders of the past he so desperately wanted to forget. Two things that would never fade nor go away. His automail would always be there, an added weight to his physical body. His memories would never fade, a burden that would forever rest on his shoulders.

And finally, he reached his destination. He was currently standing outside his doctors office. Placing his hand on the glass door, he pushed the door open with ease and stepped inside the warm building, finally escaping the cold snow that he had grown used to. Walking forward, he stood in front of the secretary's desk, trying to rid himself of his previous thoughts while he was here.

After a moment, the plump older woman sitting behind the desk noticed him. She looked up from the paper she had been signing, her oval glasses with thick red frames glinting in the florescent light.

"Can I help you-" She asked, her eyes dull with boredom. Eying his height she added "-little boy?"

His left eye twitching in anger, he gritted through his teeth "I have an appointment reserved for this time."

Glancing down at the schedule book that lay on the desk, the woman who's name tag read Mrs Blane skimmed through the appointments. "A Mister Edward Elric?" She guessed.

"That is correct." He answered, his voice dull. Those memories wouldn't leave his mind be, and he was restless. It's not like he wanted to be here in the first place. He simply wanted the results back on his test.

Pushing her glasses farther onto the bridge of her nose with her pointer finger, she responded. "Doctor Knox will be with you in a moment."

Nodding, he sat in the wooden chair that was placed in the corner of the room for a waiting patient. Which he just so happened to be. Using this moment until his doctor arrived, he tried to clear his head of these tormenting thoughts. To escape from the past... Was that possible? He pondered this question often, but his answer always came out the same. No. He would never be able to escape these thoughts that drove him near insanity. Never would he be able to live a day in his life where the memories would not come back to haunt him. Never would he forget that day, October third. He begged his eyes not to water as he bent his head down to stare at his metal hand resting in his lap.

He remembered that date always. He could never change his past and that date was a perfect example of that. Nothing could ever be changed. No matter how much or how hard you wished it would. Nothing would ever change. He could never take back the actions he made on that night. No. Everything was permanent now. And he could never change that.

"Elric? Edward Elric?" The rough voice of Doctor Knox echoed in the small room.

Snapping his head up, he blinked his eyes quickly. No tears had escaped. No, he wouldn't let them. He wouldn't show the world he was weak. He wouldn't admit to himself that he wasn't strong enough to carry this burden on his own. He would prove that he was strong enough, even though he knew deep inside that he wasn't. He knew he couldn't keep going on like this, day after day. But... He would try his hardest. Alphonse would have wanted him to. He was doing this for his brother.

And only for Alphonse.

Standing up from the chair, he walked across the room and stood in front of his doctor. Waiting until this doctor told him to follow behind him as they walked to where the tests results would be revealed. Finding an open room, they walked inside and shut the door behind them, giving them privacy.

"Mr Elric..." Doctor Knox began.

"Just Edward." The blonde man cut in.

The older man nodded. "Alright Edward. You are twenty years of age, correct? Two weeks ago you asked me to test you for that illness your mother died from."

"Correct." He answered, wanting to hurry up and get his test results already. He hated hospitals and doctors offices. They reeked of rubbing alcohol and death. They never saved lives as far as he knew. They couldn't save his dying mother and... And they couldn't save Alphonse. The plain white walls and white tile flooring was enough to drive him insane, placing him into a white padded mental institution.

"Well, the result is..."

His heart was pounding, he needed to know. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His entire life came down to this moment... Did he have this deadly disease or not? What if he did? What would he do then?

The doctor continued. "We aren't sure about the test results, in all honesty..." Knox started, rubbing his temple. "But we think you may have the same illness your mother passed away from... But we aren't sure."

Golden eyes widened, then narrowed into a cold glare. They weren't sure? How did they not know? This would decide his entire future... He needed to know the answer.

"How do you not know?" He choked out in surprise, a tinge of anger touching the edge of his voice.

Doctor Knox sighed. "We think it may be too early on to tell, we'll do further exams soon, and let you know."

The blonde man nodded in acknowledgment, opening the door and leaving the office without waiting for dismissal. Yeah, of course that's what they always say. "We'll let you know, my ass." He muttered as he pushed open the glass door, walking back out into the snow. Didn't they understand just how important this was for him to know?

That answer would decide the rest of his life. His mother died from that illness. He needed to know if he was going to die of it too. He wouldn't mind if he did die, he just wanted to know so he could get rid of his meager belongings. Settle things that needed to be settled before his death.

Upon seeing the snowflakes fall before his eyes, he recalled The Winter Festival. He remembered that event. His brother always wanted to go to an event such as The Winter Festival. But while they were stuck in such a small town, they didn't have such a thing. That's why he moved to this town in the first place. To escape the memories... And to go to the two annual festivals this town held. The Summers Night Festival and The Winter Festival. The Winter Festival was on the twenty-seventh of December. The people of the town would gather round, going from booth to booth of sellers, examining their wares. Watching as the snow fell gently from the sky. Snowman competitions and snowball fights for children. Everyone in town loved it.

Alphonse would have loved it too.

The Summers Night Festival was held in the midst of summer, July twenty-seventh. The townsfolk would go and once more, the sellers would be there and you would shop at booth to booth, play games from carnivals, and ride the childish rides such as Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds. And then, to top a lovely summers evening off, everyone would spread out and watch the dazzling firework displays. He loved The Summers Night Festival. He only got to drink that delicious imported lemonade once a year at the festival. And those fireworks took his breath away every time. So beautiful, they lit up the sky, striking you with their beauty... And then they faded.

Everything beautiful fades away.

As he continued to walk along, he passed the spot where he met that man- Roy- earlier this morning. The paper cup he had left and forgotten there in his haste to get to his appointment was no longer there.

"Perhaps the wind blew it away..." He whispered softly, staring at the place where his paper cup would have been.

Yes, the wind... That must be it.

**(1) Quote from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, episode two from Roy Mustang. Roy uses that quote while telling young Edward that he could join the military.**

**To Be Continued.  
**

**Review please!**


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